Jay's letter 3-28-11

well, this week has some pretty good stories. ok, maybe just one. but here we go (:

hey, so i threw up a lot this week. it was...lovely (: hahaha. no, me and my companion drank something like mate, (which we shouldnt drink) and we didn´t really know, and so when I got back to the apartment, I didn´t feel too good. I took a little water and put my self to sleep hoping that I could just sleep it off. Well, around 12 or so, I woke up, leaped off the bunk bed and stumbled my way in the dark to the toilet to vomit. it was alot and i saw some lovely pieces of the fried chicken we had for lunch earlier that day. i felt way better, took a mint to feel better and went back to bed. (1 hour later) same thing happens all over again...uhm...so yeah and then it happened again, but a ton! so yeah...that night was miserable. I didn´t wake up on time because I felt sick and everyone thought it was just because I just didnt get up. I told them...did you not hear me throwing up last night? It turns out that they had all slept through it. So, interesting night. My comp is okay (: We went and worked the next morning because we had people to visit and souls to save baby!

Well, I would like to thank you for your wonderful prayers to the Flia. Adasme. Here´s the story of the week.
Baptism planned and everything. We had speakers, members coming, a cake cooked (mom, you would be so proud!), soda bought, font filled, white clothes listo, and there we were. We went the night before to ask them how they would get there and make sure everything was ok. I asked them how they would wake up and what time they would leave the house. Everything seemed like a green light and I was excited (: We get the to church early to prepare everything, the members are there, talking, we had some fake flowers to make things look nice, and some bishopric represented too. eleven o clock passes and they are not there. i worry. eleven fifteen...elven thirty...finaly twelve arrives and members start leaving. I say thanks to everyone there for coming, but the family isn´t here. It was a little heart breaking to be honest. I couldnt imagine what happened and why they werent at the capilla. confused would be the best way to describe it. empty chapel, full font, clean white clothes, baked cake and me and elder rios. i said a prayer and as soon as i finished i knew that it was not their fault that they didnt come. the spirit told me that they wanted to come and they werent able to for some reason. i felt better, but still a little empty. i went to the apartment to eat some rice with elder rios and i decided to go visit the house right away. we walked all the way to their house and found them with the whole family, extended family and everything too. i remained super positive and try to just keep everyone in a good mood (: they said sorry, but the police would be kicking them out of their house and they had to pack. the person who owned the house was kicking them out. i said, "its ok, lets go to your baptism right now! lets go!" and they said ok, got ready, and the extended family decided to come see the baptism with us. they were really excited because they thought we would be mad. I realized how hard satan tries sometimes to interfere with the work of the lord, and I didnt want to let my gaurd down. So, we went to the chapel, got at least the secratry of the bishopric there and had a crazy baptism. After the bapstism the rest of the family said they wanted to do the same thing. I knew that God at the moment was showing miracles. That only through, faith, super hard work and complete obedience can he make the "impossible" possible. And thanks to your amazing prayers, we did it (: I love this work. That´s kinda brief, but I hope you enjoy. Time is passing too fast. Soooo much to do and only two years! ah!

I got a hold of some drum things...haha, at a members house. Oh, it was so much fun. (: Been so long.

Elder Jay Valle

Dallan's Letter 3-28-11

Well hello there everyone,
hahaha I sound like Barney. Well things going well down here in Puente. Another week without baptizing. My comp and I have learned a lot. It`s been a trial for us because we have set our goals so high but it`ll come soon. Patience is a virtue as they say. We´ll be ok. The good thing is that this week we have GENERAL CONFERENCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! wahoo! So we are pretty darn excited for that.. The only thing is that it`s my last one in the mission... how sad )=. Everyone is reminding me and my companion that we are going home. It`s actually brutal what they do to us. But we`re trying to turn it into a positive experience but it`s still a work in the process.
Well this week we found Bro. Santana. And funny thing is he plays the guitar just like Santana!!!!!! You should hear him... To bad he doesn`t know how to play the guitar. hahaha gocha mom didn`t I. I`m so good. But we really did find and brother named Santana and he`s so excited to get to know the church. I think that he`s even more excited to go to general conference. But you would be surprised to see where we found him. No me diga... He was in the aparment house that looks like it was designed by Jim Burton. We almost didn`t find him but we decided to just shout out his name in the middle of the hallway and a door down the hallway opened up and he poked out his head. Lucky us =). We`ve been doing a best to get out of falling into a routine because it´s very easy to do as a missionary. We`ve been working like crazy people and the blessings are beginning to fall in.
Well It`s getting pretty hot... correction... very hot down here. But the good things that I`ll come home skinny as skeleton and looking like a steamed lobster. Haha. Don`t worry mom I do put on my sun screen. But we are drinking water like crazy. It´s kind of funny. The sisters don´t even make much food for us anymore. But they always give us a huge old pitcher of water which is the absolute best. It´s fun. I like the heat a lot more than the cold.
Well I have officially completed 22 Months in the mission. 2 to go. Gotta go. I love you all
Elder Dallan Valle

Dallan's Letter 3-21-11

Hey Everyone!Man it`s starting to get crazy hot down here. We`re supposed to be drinking an average of 4 liters a day. That`s a whole freaking gallon!!!! I`ve never drinken so much water in my life like I have in Mexico. Thing is that if you don`t drink you get kidney stones... what a drag hahahaha. Good thing I don`t know how those feel.Well this week was crazy week. We started off with Zone Leader Council which went great. We always lose a lot of time proselyting but we always learn so much. Our Zone this month was the 2nd highest baptizing zone so we were very happy for them and are planning to do many things in the month of April. It`s kind of sad working so hard and leaving investigators to get baptized but it doesn`t matter. The important thing is that they`re going to get baptized. I`ll probably be transfered out in this exchange that`s coming but who knows. The President has been known to do far more than the unexpected hahaha. The goal is to leave to the very strong and all the district leaders we have are doing a great job so we are very excited.

After ZL council we came home and had interviews and that took up all of Thursday and half of Friday. Saturday was the only day that we really got to work. This week we didn`t have a baptism. That was really hard for me and my comp. We`ve been working pretty hard and having success and then to hit nothing made us reflect a lot. The Lord always tries us and sometimes makes us wait for the blessings. The good thing is that we have not gotten discouraged and we are more than happy. We`ll be baptizing here soon again. One thing that I have come to learn on the mission is that you`re success does not depend on you. It depends on the Lord. Those who are faithful and obedient will always be blessed. The Lord can give and the Lord can take away. So we must always be grateful for what the Lord has given us.

Not a whole lot more to say. I got a letter from Miranda this week and I`m guessing the other letters are backed up. Who knows where they are. But they`re coming little by little hahaha. Well I hope everyone is ok. I love you all. Take Care.

Love Elder Dallan Valle

Jay's letter 3-21-11

Wow. Well, crazy week (: Let´s start off with a good, happy and interesting change here in the mission. Well this week, we had interviews with the President and his wife the offices. I was excited because me and Elder Orduna have been working super hard and trying to be super obedient to get more blessings (things such as working out, and going to bed on time). So, It was´nt quite my turn to be interviewed. Then he called in my Zone leaders and Elder Orduna to talk to all three of them together. Then, five minutes later the President called me in to join them. I was curious, but not at all nervous. I figured that If I was nervous, it would because I wasnt working, and I for sure was working (: The Pres. said " Hey, Elder Valle we called you in to do a couple thing. First off, Elder Orduna wont be your copmanion anymore...and you are now senior companion. Elder Orduna is now the Zone leader and you will be training. I talked to your zone leader and Orduna and they said you are beyond prepared to start as a leader, so you will start by traning Elder Rios, from Columbia. Just so you know, this is the first time in the mission that someone as young as you as been comp mayor, training, and gringo trainer of a latin missionary. You are the youngest missionary to ever touch the turf of training. Your name is already famous in the mission and people like you and like being around you. He then said to me, Orduna and Garcia...I couldnt be more pleased with this set of missionaries in my office than I am with another set of missionaries." SO, that was the big change for this week (: SO, I am a "father" and Elder Rios is a son. Thats how it works with training, the person you train is your son. So, there you have it. Crazy huh? It´s a little overwhelming training already, but I am thankful for every oppurtunity to serve the Lord in anyway possible. (: Well, that´s your birthday present MOM (: Your son being obedient and super hard working in the mission. Sometimes I can´t beleive how the Elders work here. It´s like they are here to vacation and just kinda walk around. Thanks for teaching know. Mami, sepa que me enseño bien. You creo que, mediante sus enseñanzas, he aprendido muchos cosas lo que you puedo aplicar en mi vida, y mas de nada, ahora en la misíon. Entoces, gracias por eso, and feliz cumpleaño, de su hijo (:Oh other Mom Birthday present. Hna. Lindahl gave me and Elder Orduña the Cleanest Apartment in Mendoza award at interviews. We won it and a big bag of granola for it. (: My pants are crazy big. I am definitly lossing weight walking up hill really fast every day. My new companion walks a little slow, but I am slowly trying to get him up to speed...literally. hahahaha. But, don´t worry a belt works perfectly keeping the pants up and everything. I don´t really care how I look anymore. Ok, well sorta, but you get the point. I can see mom dying right now just wanting to fiz all my pants and fixing the rip I got the other day playing futbol for 10 seconds en the street with the kids. bad idea. but thats ok, we went back and played a real game the next day in regular clothes and taught them not to say bad words and treat girls with respect. Hahahaha. It was good (:

Crazy what you guys are doing with my room! Sounds like the business is really going good. What is the office going to be now? interesting. Hahaha. Sounds fun. Wish I could be there to help you guys out! (not). (: Well, the flia. Adasme came to church this week, so please say a prayer for a miracle this week that we might be able to have a baptism. they are tough but they need this really bad in their lives (: please pray for miracles. I love you guys (: be safe.


Elder valle

Jay's letter 3-14-11

Wow. Pretty Good Week, here in the mission (: I hope everything is ok In Japan. We heard a ton about it in the news over here. How´s it looking?

Well, We are teaching this 16 year old kid who acts like Spider Man. He is a...special kid but he really does want to get baptized (: He is really funny. But yeah, really innocent kid. So, one time we went to go teach him the Word of Wisdom and asked him if he is living the Word. He said..uhm...no, yo fumo, como 20 cigarillos cada DIA! Yo estaba como....QUE?!? Usted es freakin joven con un monton de vida para vivir. I was dissapointed because we had to post pone his baptismal fecha.But thats ok. I realized that I was doing it for him and not for me to have a baptism this week.
We are also teaching this other girl named Joana who is having the hardest time not smoking. We made this huge goal chart that she can use. She is crazy! We made all these plans and we almost dropped her because she was not progressing. So, we went to go give her the charla. Then, I finally asked her...como se siente de nosotros pasando por la casa y ayundole dejar de fumar? Por fin, ella empezo a llorar y nos dijo...Me siento muy muy impressionada and tampoco no tengo la apoyo de mi familia. It was like a stab in the heart for me. i realized and learned a great lesson. that I need to ask people how the feel, really get to their heart and take care of their probelms and help them out. not just to teach and hope. i learned a ton this week about teaching and caring about the people. also, i learned how much smoking suck. don´t do it! its horrible (:

I gave a talk yesterday. I talked about teaching the gospel in the home. Alot of the member families here in Argentina live the gospel mas o menos. They are really pirdeful of themembership in the church but don´t live it all the way. I asked the bishop if it would be ok to talk about this and he said, por favor. I said really strongly that you have to have family scripture study, family prayer, noche de hogar, and your kids have to go to activities. I said, if you don´t do this, your family is just another family, and that is not what you want. I said, wake your kids up, prepare them to go on their mission and don´t be afraid to get strict about the church but as always, use love. I gave the example of us getting up at six to study scriptures and marie giving familyt home evening and dad staying out late visiting people. its true, you have to live the gospel. I was really firm and the people loved it. Good Sunday (:

HEY! I got the music package! Thanks. Mom, that song, brightly beams our fathers mercy is BRILLIANT. So gooood (: i love the girly speakers and the dolphin cd case. hahahaa, thanks mother. Everything came safe, and in one month too! Good timing. ç

I figured out the 8 dollar purchase. it bought shoes which were 30 pesos, wich comes out to be around 8 american dollars. so yeah, (: Card is safe.

Hope You have a great week you all! (:

Elder Valle

Dallan's Letter 3-14-11

Hey everyone things going good down here =)
Man it´s been a tough week. We are working off our little behinds and it´s been a test of out pacience, but it looks like we´ll be having more success here soon. This week went very well we had the baptism of the Hna. Patricia. She´s the mom of 8 children, funny thing is though that all of her children that are 8 and up work... and they are never in the house but she was baptized nonetheless and was very happy. However she did not get confirmed due to an emergency stake meeting. We had a special guest speaker and you´ll never guess who it was…. President Monson!!!!! Wow bad part was that I could only see him on the big screen because it was a transmission to all of the south of Mexico. But we listened to him and to Elder Nelson. It was very cool.

This week we had interviews and were running as usual from place to place and this week we´ll be going to Villahermosa to have our Zone Leader Council. Ya se va todo mi moni….. hahaha It´s all good. We´re excited to also receive three new gringos this week in the Zone. Should be fun. To bad they don´t live with us so I could give them chile… hahaha.

Well just so everyone knows since they´ve all been asking me. Yes I don´t have a lot of time left, Yes I´m happy to go home, No i´m not happy to leave, No I´m not becoming lazy and Yes i´m going to eat everything with tortillas and chile still hahaha. I can´t believe the time is flying by! Wow! My mom just sent me my travel plans and it seems like everything is good to go. It´s kind of weird. But just so everyone knows. My bishop sent me out a letter telling me that in the new Rule book of the church only immediate family members can be there. So I´ll be excited to see the family soon. As for everyone else I´ll see them like an hour later. Hahahaha. It´s basically the same.

Well I´m doing all I can. Got to make the best of what I got left. I know I´m doing what the Lord wants me to do =) take care. I love you all!

Love, Elder Dallan J Valle

Dallan's Letter 3-7-11

12 week countdown…. Que feo. Ya ni modos

Well I officially only have to exchanges left in the mission. This Exchange I`ll be with my comp Elder Gonzalez in puente. But I`m taking a wild guess and saying that in the next Exchange I`ll be going to a new área. Hahaha It should be fun . This week was kind of a long week for us. The people in the área are starting to get to know us and so they start crossing the street when we`re walking in their direction so that we don`t talk to them. I never want to hear the word “no” when I come home because I`ve Heard it a billion times here hahahaha. The good thing is that me and my comp know that there are still people here that want to hear the góspel and that are looking for the truth so we`ll continue being more than happy to do what the Lord wants of us.

Hahaha my mom sent me an email with all the Jobs that you guys are starting to find me. Makes me kind of sad to know i`m really am going. But thanks for all your support for what you have done for me and what you still keep on doing for me. And thanks for the letters. Those always make your day.

Well this week we had the baptism of Rita Scarlet. She`s the cousin of Hna. Noemi who got baptized 2 weeks ago. She was a fun one to teach. She had a hard time quiting coffee but she did it. Actually her mom who isn`t member got mad at us because she had just bought a new jar of coffee and now nobody drinks it. I don`t know why you`d want to here. It`s so freaking hot. We can cook eggs on our porch. But that`s just how coffee people are.

Well I hope you all like the fotos. We had empanada night and I made them. You should be proud of me mom. We also play uno every night to se who has to sweep the floor. It gets pretty intense but it`s way fun. I won last night just to brag. And of course the district photo. I hope it is to your pleasing. Hahaha take care.

Love Elder Dallan Valle

Jay's letter 3-7-11

hahahahha. wow. ana sounds like an adult in the letter she wrote. i though it was from mom the whole time until i read the last line, from ana. ha! ana, you are so grown up! loved the letter. how´s the boyfriend? oh...wait, i´m not supposed to let mom and dad know about that right? ok. woops.

well new comp this week! elder orduña is from new york! and guess what?!? his dad is peruvian. like me. his mom is from ecuador, but he was born and raised in new york. together we make one peruvian. cool (: he has a really strong personality and we are working working working. most work i have done in the mission so far. he his serious about getting this all done, but at the same time, he is hilarious and has a very different sense of humor. it´s weird changing from a disobedient un motivated companion to a leader in the mission who is always working and never takes breaks. i love it. i love getting lost in the work and just dedicating work to the lord. the best. we actually, only in the first week, our area is the best area in mendoza. as far as numbers and stuff, but we are just running every where we go and talking to EVERYONE and getting into tons of houses. we are always using my eyes as a manner to start a conversation. it´s awkard but, hey! if it means sharing the gospel than why not? i am learning to ask really personal questions to get peoples trust and to be a pshycologist of their spirituality and give them the medicine. it´s the best.

the biggest challenge this week, was getting the family adasme to church. they are POOR. i thought i new what poor was until, i met these guys. i mean, steel sheet walls, dirt everywhere, no fridge, no nothing. just chickens dogs and a house...kinda. when we came they were still al asleep. we had to pay for all of us to get to church by bus, we were super late. it was very very very hard. it was definitly a trial of faith, but we did it! we got them to church and they we be baptized on the 19th of March if everything goes right. Can you please pary for the Flia. Adasme. thanks guys!

OH erin, we had a neice competition. whose niece was the cutest, and mine definitly won.

the vendimia was this week. it´s maybe the biggest wine festival in the world. it´s called the vendimia and people come from all over the world to drink wine and there is a HUGE cultural celebration and this huge Miss Argentina kinda competition at the same event. Hna. Lindahl gave us permission to go, but guess what. we didnt. we worked worked worked! we got sutff done and although we kinda wished we went to vendimia, we feel good. plus, it would have taken up like all day and yeah. we are hitting the ground running. i love you guys! have a great week!

Elder Valle

Jay's letter 2-28-11

(On Splits with Elder Beck, an Elder from our Stake here at home)

__________________________________
Well. This week was CRAZY WEEK. not really for the best reason either. i will write the feo stuff first and the the good stuff (: que dice? bueno.

well, let me be blunt on this part. my comp got sent home this week. heres the low down. i was not really supposed to say anything until it was all said and done, but yeah. this whole transfer he has been crazy with the rules. he is definitly a disobedient elder and this transfer has been frustrating. the main problem was him and another hermana. the have been exchanging pictures, lettters, calling and all sorts of crap. i was tricked to be quite frank. i called the pres. and he told me to wip him into shape, which i did. (: i just got face to face with him when we saw the hermanas on p day and said, ¨Vamos, ahora.¨ I just didn´t let anything happen. then, he kept trying to use interenet on members phones without me knowing, but i always confronted him on the spot and said, ¨dude, porque esta siguiendo rompiendo las reglas!¨he even tried to do it in a secret and yeah. so, when we went to the offices he got sent home. then it was my turn to talk to the president and he said this to me. ¨Elder, I can´t be more pleased with any other missionary, than I am with you right now.¨ that´s all he said and then he sent him to go pack. it was really sad that he chose to do those kind of things and go that way, but thats his choice. I learned a lot about me, and how to handle crazy situations. I also learned how much obedience pays off. CRAZY week. but, yeah....want good news?!?!? (:

We found some GREAT people to teach this last week. The Familia Adasme (who live in this crazy poor hosue, it´s awesome) and Maria CasaNova. Great people (: I love teaching. It´s the best. I wish I could just teach all day...but someones got to knock the door to get the people to teach. hahaha.

We had a CRAZY rainstorm! I was soaked all over and almost destroyed my docker shoes, but i think everythings ok now. I love being a missionary. i really do, I can´t believe I am already coming up on 5 months. It actually is kinda crazy. but yeah. I love doing this! My next comp is latin...soo....6 more weeks of solo spanish! wow. I hope everything is going great in the land of papas. Hahahahaha. don´t worry about my experience with my last comp. we took care of it, and i am ready to BAPTIZE. (: hahaha.
love you all! oh yeah... i finished the book of mormon this week. ITS AMAZING! no one ever told me the story of Moroni sneaking in and giving the prisoners weapon. thats like a james bond movie or something. sweet.

Elder Valle

Dallan's Letter 2-28-11

Hey everyone,
Well I would lie if I told you that I have a lot of time to write cause I don´t. But i am happy and very hot. Man weather sure is kicking in. I think we got in to the 100 degrees this week but we all know what that means. Weight loss program! Hahaha. Its fun. I love it and I´m so glad I didn´t go to Alaska! Hahaha

Well this week we had them baptism of Rodolfo. What a cool kid. His friends were making fun of him and about the fact that he was going to baptize with the mormons but it didn´t bother him and he went ahead and did it. When we found him he was quite the wild thing and it´s amazing now to go and visit him and see that he is sweeping the porch for his mom or helping her to wash the clothes. He´s a killer soccer player and has even given up his life´s passion to go to church.

Well my comp got an ingrown toenail and I got a fun picture of that and one of the missionaries sprained my pinky so it was naturally crooked for 3 days but now it´s all good. The best thing is that it didn´t keep us from working and we were able to find more people to baptize for these coming weeks. Good news is that I should be going to the sealing of Carlos and aleda here in like 2 or 3 weeks. We´ll see.

I got packages and letters this week. The packages from Miranda and Sister Hulet and like 13 letters. I was definetly the envied Elder this week. I felt special. Letters are like christmas presents here. You just love them! Hahaha so thanks for all that you have sent me.

I know the Lord lives and that this is his work. Hope all are doing great. Take care everyone.

Love, Elder Dallan J Valle